Rapper Twista Cheese Convicted Over 'Menacing' Video Targeting Tommy Robinson

Omar Abdirizak, known as Twista Cheese, was found guilty of posting a video referencing firearms and making a gun gesture, deemed a criminal threat under UK law.

• Twista Cheese, a Birmingham-based rapper, released a TikTok video referencing firearms and making a gun gesture while addressing far-right figure Tommy Robinson.
• The video, which gained over two million views, was reposted by Robinson on X (formerly Twitter) with a call for police investigation, claiming it was a threat to murder him.
• Prosecutors argued the video's references to artillery and its tone crossed the line from freedom of speech into criminality, causing fear of serious violence.
• The court rejected Abdirizak's defense that the video was entertainment and self-promotion, ruling that its 'natural meaning' was a menacing reference to firearms.
• Abdirizak, who also faces charges for cannabis possession and a racially aggravated public order offense, will be sentenced on February 12 after concerns about his mental health were raised.

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